Dave, Kellie, and Zachary Span of California have joined Unite For The Cure to help raise funding to get Dr. Keirstead’s promising SMA stem cell program at UC Irvine to human clinical trials and to accelerate the program. Welcome aboard Span family!
Why are the Spans uniting for the cure?
Zachary Louis Span was born on April 18th, 2009. Parents Kellie and Dave were overjoyed at the birth of their son and had many great things planned for their family’s life. After a short time, they became concerned with his lack of muscle tone and movement of his legs. At his 2 month appointment Zachary’s pediatrician was also concerned, but more so about his tummy breathing, and he was admitted to the hospital. Within a couple of days a preliminary diagnosis of SMA Type I devastated the family (the diagnosis was later confirmed through a genetic test). Determined to make the most of his potentially limited time, the Span family packed up their SUV, took leaves of absences from work, and set out on a journey across the country less than a week after the preliminary diagnosis. Their journey is chronicled as “Zachary’s Great Adventure” on their website – TheSpanFamily.com. Their journey took them over 9,000 miles in 22 states over six weeks. Did we mention they took their dog Lucy as well?
Currently, Zachary is happy and healthy as the Spans plan out his next adventure – see their website for recent updates. The Spans are excited about Dr. Kierstead’s research and believe that it will lead to a cure for SMA.
